Turkey Frees Another Member of Embattled Music Collective
“Twice in the same month, we have had the rare opportunity to celebrate a Turkish artist’s release from prison." More
PEN America Welcomes Release of Turkish Musician
"Grup Yorum has faced years of persecution at the hands of the Turkish government, which has fallaciously accused members of terrorism for merely making music and has repeatedly raided… More
Turkish Music Collective’s Cultural Center Raided by Police
"The Turkish government’s intentions are clear: harass, intimidate, and imprison Grup Yorum into silence." More
Turkey’s New Social Media Law Puts Stranglehold on Free Expression
The passage of an aggressive new social media law in Turkey presents a direct and multifaceted threat to free expression. More
Joint Letter on the 1000th Day in Detention of Osman Kavala
This letter was sent to the U.S. Department of State on July 23, 2020. Dear Assistant Secretary Destro and Acting Assistant Secretary Reeker: As representatives of Amnesty International USA, Freedom House,… More
Turkish Writer Faces Renewed Charges After Acquittal in February
(New York, NY) — Turkish prosecutors this week have reopened a spurious case against writer Asli Erdoğan. She now faces renewed charges of sedition, membership of a terrorist organization,… More
Ahmet and Mehmet Altan | Status: Imprisoned | Turkey
Ahmet and Mehmet Altan were arrested in September 2016, as part of a wave of arrests of thinkers, writers, and journalists following the 2016 failed coup. More
Ahmet Altan, Imprisoned in Turkey
Ahmet Altan is the founder of Taraf, who was arrested for allegedly spreading subliminal messages on television before an attempted coup against Erdoğan. More
Turkish Musician Who Ended Hunger Strike Dies
"We vehemently condemn the Turkish government for its continuous attempts to silence Grup Yorum." More
Turkish Musician Suspends Hunger Strike After Nearly A Year
"He and other Grup Yorum members should not have to resort to a hunger strike in the first place to be able to share their music." More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?
PEN America On 
During the pandemic, PEN America continued introducing new emerging voices of international writers through @penworldvoices. Listen to Russian poet from Chechnya Lolita Agamalova in our series "Writers in Residence": https://bit.ly/3cv0WY2.
Women, many of them students, are speaking out against a patriarchy that controls the military, the monarchy, and the Buddhist monkhood, Thailand's most powerful institutions. https://nyti.ms/3i4SUpQ